Schenectady to Compensate $75K to Schenectady Family for Brutal Police Raid Attack

Schenectady will be paying a total of $75,000 to three members of a Schenectady family who says they were beat up in an unprovoked attack by a group of police officers who raided their home in 2014.

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In a few days, the City Council will vote on the proposed settlement that would resolve a federal civil rights lawsuit filed by siblings, Joseph and Dodie Toomer and Dodie's son, Manuel Toomer. The Toomers say they were continuously kicked and punched by several officers during a raid of their house that was, according to them, not based on a crime or authorized by a search warrant.

Apparently it became violent when Joseph Toomer, 39, who was standing on his house porch, asked an officer to stop shining a light in his face. Nowadays, it is common for Black people to start recording incidents with police in case of unfair treatment. Well, according to video footage and details of the incident in the federal lawsuit, police officers allegedly forced their way into the family's home violently and knocked Joseph Toomer unconscious after he had tried to record a video on his camera of what was happening in January 2014.

Toomer, still halfway unconscious, was then dragged outside where officers kicked and punched him as he lay curled up on the ground, his attorney said. In addition to the brutality Toomer was already being face with, a police K9 dog bit Toomer repeatedly on his legs and buttocks, leaving bruises and lacerations.

Manuel Toomer, Joseph’s nephew, was also kicked and punched repeatedly, suffering a broken nose and severe injuries to his face. He was also tasered three times during the incident after police dragged him off the porch. The criminal charges against Dodie Toomer, 43, were dismissed and Joseph and Manuel Toomer ultimately pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, a violation, court records indicate.